Mixoligist 0 #26 October 11, 2003 QuoteI pack my rig once, to pass the class, i have never packed one since then. So common....so sad................................... Better you than me .................................. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jsaxton 0 #27 October 11, 2003 Yas, packing sucka at first. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aviatrr 0 #28 October 11, 2003 If you don't know how to pack, you're gonna be hating life when you go to a big boogie, or a small DZ, with no packers available(or none there at all), and you get stuck sitting out watching everybody else have fun.....either that, or you get in two jumps because it takes you 2 hours to pack since you have only done it once. I pack my rig most of the time. Sometimes I will have a packer do it, but only if I'm too busy to.....and then it has to be somebody I trust. Usually, I'll take the extra 10 minutes to pack my rig myself. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bendywendy 0 #29 October 11, 2003 Everyone is slow at first. Don't give up and don't let everyone else pack for you. The more you do it the faster you'll get. I remember struggling, now mine is in the bag before most people have theirs laid out. Practice, practice, practice. Learn from everyone you can - everyone has different tricks and techniques. Take what works for you and develop your own style (as long as it works, of course!) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
algboy 0 #30 October 11, 2003 Even though I'm still waiting to finish up the "A" thaang (2 month delay due to broken foot) I have to say that I'm looking forward to the packing class and plan on doing most of my own packing. Beside the good reasons of seeing 1st-hand any safety issues, I feel that packing my own chute will give me a familiarity and intimacy with my rig. Hell, the thing is gonna save my life--I wanna get comfortable with my rig and think of it as my inanimate "friend". You know, like Zen and the Art of Parachute Maintenance (any old farts like me will get this) Does anyone else feel the same? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbrown 26 #31 October 12, 2003 QuoteI tried packing, it's way to scary. I made the adventurous decision to buy a heatwave as my first canopy, she like to be packed neatly. I have decided the packers pack jobs are much safer than mine. I’ll wait until I’m ready for a mal before I try packing again. Maybe you should pay somebody to jump it too, that way you could sit back with a cool beverage and watch the fun. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbrown 26 #32 October 12, 2003 QuoteIf you don't know how to pack, you're gonna be hating life when you go to a big boogie, or a small DZ, with no packers available(or none there at all), and you get stuck sitting out watching everybody else have fun Packing's like doing the dishes or taking out the garbage. It sucks, but it's part of life. It isn't all that hard either. I feel much better in the open door, knowing that the main on my back is one that I packed and that it will open. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
champu 1 #33 October 13, 2003 people sometimes commentate from one of the couches near the packing area as I pack because I'm so slow, generally they get a disgusted look and a middle finger in reply Don't worry about it, I've gotten faster, and am still getting faster. I'm not afraid to miss a load because I'm still packing. Besides, now I'm only the forth or so slowest person at my dropzone, so the peanut gallery has moved on Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sssbc99 0 #34 October 13, 2003 QuoteQuoteI pack my rig once, to pass the class, i have never packed one since then. Yup...same here. I'm not exactly proud of it but we have great packers. One in particular who I'm REALLY going to miss since she's going back to Canada soon. You guys are nuts. At six bucks a pack job, that is a jump wasted for every 3 pack jobs! Once you learn it, you can do it quick and pack it just the way you want so you get a consistently good opening. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KCJumper 0 #35 October 13, 2003 When i first learned to pack last winter i was horrible. I was taught on a student canopy. Which by the way was a 290zp. Big, new and slippery. So needless to say it took me like 30 min to get to the point of putting it in the bag only to lose it out of the stack. So start over. This summer i was quick enough that i packed most of our students rigs. Then getting put in charge of packing as a whole. Now i can pack most any rig in under 10 min and a tandem in about 12-15. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelel01 1 #36 October 13, 2003 You know, I did my first pack job (that sounds dirty ) on Sunday, and it was such a mess. I looked down at the canopy while it was over my shoulder, and it just looked like a pile of crap. A-lines, B-lines, man I couldn't tell at all. I am just hoping and praying that it gets easier as time goes on, because $5 for every pack job might be the end of me! But I do feel better about knowing what the parts of the canopy are called, and the poor guy who taught me how to pack is going to have his hands full with me. I'll buy him some beer. Anyway, thanks for posting your frustration. I don't think the packers even remember what it was like not to be able to pack, and I felt like such an idiot. Now I feel much better. Later, and good luck! Blue Skies! Kelly Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baa75 0 #37 October 13, 2003 QuoteQuoteQuoteI pack my rig once, to pass the class, i have never packed one since then. Yup...same here. I'm not exactly proud of it but we have great packers. One in particular who I'm REALLY going to miss since she's going back to Canada soon. You guys are nuts. At six bucks a pack job, that is a jump wasted for every 3 pack jobs! Once you learn it, you can do it quick and pack it just the way you want so you get a consistently good opening. Yeah, I know. Actually its more just that I'm lazy. I really do need to start packing for myself though. My packer is leaving and I have to save up $ for a house. Ugh...probably won't be jumping much anyway. BettyAnn Getting married? Check out my website! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevePhelps 0 #38 October 13, 2003 QuoteQuoteI tried packing, it's way to scary. I made the adventurous decision to buy a heatwave as my first canopy, she like to be packed neatly. I have decided the packers pack jobs are much safer than mine. I’ll wait until I’m ready for a mal before I try packing again. Maybe you should pay somebody to jump it too, that way you could sit back with a cool beverage and watch the fun. My thoughts exactly. I wonder how they're going to feel when one of those pack jobs (by a packer) is a slammer. Will they quit jumping all together? I say, pay your dues (learn to pack) and not the packer EVERY TIME you jump, but to each his own! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 1,623 #39 October 14, 2003 QuoteQuoteQuoteI pack my rig once, to pass the class, i have never packed one since then. Yup...same here. I'm not exactly proud of it but we have great packers. One in particular who I'm REALLY going to miss since she's going back to Canada soon. You guys are nuts. At six bucks a pack job, that is a jump wasted for every 3 pack jobs! Once you learn it, you can do it quick and pack it just the way you want so you get a consistently good opening. If packing were so much fun, we wouldn't have to pay packers to do it for us. I think $5 a pack job (that's the price at home DZ) is well worth it. I don't "waste" any jumps by paying packers. I only pack after the last jump of the day (take the rig home unpacked so I can look it over as I pack it at home), or when at a boogie.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shivon 0 #40 October 14, 2003 I understand your pain. I was feeling the same kind of things, and then one week I was at a Boogie, and it all of a sudden became a heap easier and faster. I have since gone to using a pull-up tool as well, which saves the hands. Good luck. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydyvr 0 #41 October 15, 2003 Fifty pack jobs or so into my skydiving career . . . I still suck at packing. But I'm getting better and faster all the time. . . =(_8^(1) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpgod 0 #42 October 15, 2003 it takes time to get good. i remember packing 3 times just to jump and taking 2 hours at a time. i even had people put the chute in my freebag for me because i couldn't contain the bulk. but, the good part is, perfect practice makes perfect execution. so the more you jump, the better you'll get. be nice to your chute and do it right and it'll take good care of you. pay attention to the details and never take chances. ...coming from a guy who gets picked on for being so slow... but mine open. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkydiveNFlorida 0 #43 October 16, 2003 Quote... 2) After you pack it a little crappily and it opens just fine, you will realize that some things just don't matter that much. I had the benefit of being taught by someone that highlighted the things that mattered, and played down those that are just style. Once you realize the crap that you can pack and still have it open nicely, you'll get a lot faster. well said. I was told by some packers, "don't worry, they're made to open". I tell you, this IS the truth. Of course you don't want to spin it b4 putting it in the container, but even if you think it looks like crap getting it in the d-bag, it'll probably open just fine. Just make sure the slider is down and covered. I am finally starting to get a little better at this. Worse part is, before I was borrowing a rig and it was made for a 170sf main and I was putting a 150 in it. Now i'm putting that 150 in a bag and container sized for a 135sf main. It's a bitch, but it is possible. :p Angela. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
schattenjaeger 0 #44 October 16, 2003 Yay! 30mph winds today, so I got to do more practice packing! This time I was packing the chute that I'll probably be using for a bit(a Javelin container with a Sabre 170, MUCH easier than the Sabre 210 I was using at first) Hands aren't all torn up, got the closing pin through the loop on my FIRST try this time! Every subsequent try took me the usual 5 minutes of grunting and cursing, but I'm sure that's a good sign. If the winds are down tomorrow, I'll go and jump that rig, then repack it and jump my own pack job for the first time! Woooo... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
catfishhunter 1 #45 October 16, 2003 Only requirement is to pack it and jump it ONCE, and you really don't even have to jump it just pack it. I packed my first time, asked my buddy if he thought I should jump it or unpack it and pack it again. Packer said no I had to jump it buddy said he thought I should unpack it and do it again. I said Nah I am gonna jump it. Packer said you know where your reserve is right. Said Yep Buddy said unpack it. I said nah gonna jump it and he asked what I was gonna do, Said hop-n-pop he said unpack it and do it again. Needless to say I jumped from 3500 pulles at 2700 it opened. Now I never have to pack again unless for some strange reason there isn't someone around to take my $5! Blue Skies MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
schattenjaeger 0 #46 October 17, 2003 Actually for the A-license I think you gotta jump your own package like 6 times or something...and for some reason I just feel, well, less like a skydiver, unless I'm packing my own chute. Not that I would consider anyone less of one if they never do it, it's just how it makes me feel Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
schattenjaeger 0 #47 October 17, 2003 Plus you learn sooo much about the gear. I had the basics down before, but now I know precisely what's happening from the moment I pull the pilot chute to the cutaway and deploying of the reserve! Heck, today I even got to pull the cutaway handle and see how the whole thing comes apart and goes back together. So now I know WHY to make sure the yellow cable is unobstructed, not just to do it!(well, I knew stuck cable = no cutaway, but I wasn't sure of the mechanics of it) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mww115 0 #48 October 23, 2003 What's a packer? My DZ is so ghetto... How ghetto is it? They were gonna buy a wind sock but choose to hang a trash bag from a telephone pole instead. MikeUntil you've stepped out at 800' in the dead of night with 100 lbs of chute and equipment.. you haven't jumped. AIRBORNE ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
storm1977 0 #49 October 23, 2003 QuoteI tried packing, it's way to scary. I made the adventurous decision to buy a heatwave as my first canopy, she like to be packed neatly. I have decided the packers pack jobs are much safer than mine. I’ll wait until I’m ready for a mal before I try packing again. That is a lame excuse..... Come on. It is a parachute..it wants to open. That's its job!!!!!! My last pack job was shit!!! I was in a rush, and I stopped right before getting on the plane and said to myself... "You shouldn't jump that pack". I thought some more and reminded myself that it would open because it wants to open. I pulled a bit higher than normal, but sure enough it opened.. a bit off heading, but other than that it was fine. So long as you keep the lines in front of you, and quarter the slider... It will most likely open. Besides, you have to learn to trust yourself in this sport.... ----------------------------------------------------- Sometimes it is more important to protect LIFE than Liberty Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Remster 24 #50 October 23, 2003 QuoteI’ll wait until I’m ready for a mal before I try packing again. Better quit jumping now, because if you are not ready for a mal on any jump, you need to be.Remster Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
